Western Pacific Railroad Co. v. United States
382 U.S. 237 · Decided December 7, 1965 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Western Pacific Railroad Co. v. United States was decided on December 7, 1965 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Railroad regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 382 U.S. 237 · 86 S. Ct. 338 · 15 L. Ed. 2d 294 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2235
- Docket number
- 12
- Decided
- December 7, 1965
- Argued
- October 19, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Railroad regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Interstate Commerce Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
Western Pacific Railroad Co. et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-027, docket 1965-027-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Railroad regulation”
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co.
- Chicago & North Western Railway Co. v. Chicago
- A. L. Mechling Barge Lines, Inc. v. United States
- American Commercial Lines, Inc. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. New York
- Arrow Transportation Co. v. Southern Railway Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Interstate Commerce Act
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- All States Freight, Inc. v. New York
- Levin v. Mississippi River Fuel Corp.
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. v. United States
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. Atchison
- Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co. v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Leh v. General Petroleum Corp.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Walker Process Equipment, Inc. v. Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.
- United Gas Improvement Co. v. Callery Properties, Inc.
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error